For many years, Disneyland — which celebrated its 56th anniversary this past July 17 — was a place we thought we might never see. Since 1972, we were "regulars" at Walt Disney World, yet Disneyland was as far away in distance as it was in our travel plans.

We finally broke down and made it to The Happiest Place on Earth in Anaheim, Calif., in late July, 1998, some 43 years after Walt Disney’s fabled "amusement enterprise" opened. By then, Disney had become embedded in our family’s psyche, much in the way families become fans of a particular sports team, and everything — from T-shirts to memorabilia to even undergarments — reflected that passion.

DisneylandSleepy Beauty Castle in Disneyland.

Disneyland was in a state of transition in 1998 — large earth-moving vehicles occupied the main parking lot as a second theme park — to be called Disney’s California Adventure — was in the preliminary phases of construction.

We couldn’t have had better weather for our five-hour flight, which featured spectacular vistas of the Grand Canyon miles below, as well as close-up views of several imposing mountain ranges as we descended toward southern California. After landing at LAX, renting a car and driving about an hour to Anaheim, we checked into the Disneyland Hotel, plopped our luggage down in our room and made a bee-line for the monorail station.

The monorail in Disneyland is quite different from the monorails that service the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in Walt Disney World. For one thing, the windows were open to allow cooling breezes to enter the car. And the winding beams in Disneyland lead the train through large swaths of the park — passing the Matterhorn, the submarine voyage, Autopia and Space Mountain — giving riders a bird’s-eye view of all the excitement that awaits below.

We exited the monorail and began exploring a place I had seen on television many times, beginning in the late 1950s.

For late July, the weather was downright pleasant — cool with comfortable humidity, a far cry from the stifling heat and humidity in central Florida we’ve come to expect during that same time of year. Walking along Main Street in Disneyland is at best disorienting after having strolled down Main Street in Walt Disney World dozens of times before. It looks very much the same ... yet it’s decidedly different.

DisneylandAll aboard! Disneyland's train station greets guests as they enter The Happiest Place on Earth.

Once you come to the end of the thoroughfare and reach the hub area near Sleeping Beauty Castle, that’s when it becomes really strange. To the right is the massive Matterhorn Mountain. In the center of the hub, as in Walt Disney World, is the Walt and Mickey "Partners" statue.

And up ahead is a castle that pales in comparison to its Florida counterpart. Yet, though short in stature, its larger-than-life iconoclastic presence dominates the landscape.

Walking around Disneyland was much more than just visiting another theme park. This was the place that Walt Disney had dreamed of ... where he had poured out his heart, soul and entire fortune to create ... a warm and welcoming place where parents and their children have fun together.

Walt actually walked up and down these same streets. He had his own apartment atop the firehouse and was known to sleep overnight so he could be inside the park to greets guests when the gates first opened the next morning.

He would stride into these same shops and stare with pride at Disneyland icons like Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn and the monorail. In all probability, he grabbed a hammer during construction and knocked in a nail or two.

This was his dream, his park. And here I was, walking right down the middle of Walt Disney’s original Main Street USA. I hadn’t even been on a ride, yet I was awestruck.

Even though our trip also included memorable visits to San Diego and Universal Studios, that first time in Disneyland was simply unforgettable.